Hamburg - 11a Rutschbahn, Alte und Neue Klaus Synagogue

Summary: In September 1905, Hamburg’s Orthodox Jewish
community built a synagogue in the back of the property
at 11a Rutschbahn. Known as the Alte und Neue Klaus
synagogue, the building had a seating capacity of 160 (120
men and 40 women). The synagogue also served as a Beit
Midrash (study hall) in which the study of the Talmud and
its commentaries went on at all hours of the day.
Rabbi Selig Pinchas Bamberger, a renowned scholar,
presided over this congregation. In order to accommodate
the large number of young men who moved to Hamburg
to study with Rabbi Bamberger, the house of worship was
expanded in 1910, allowing for additional lecture halls and
prayer rooms.
Although the interior of the synagogue was ransacked
on Pogrom Night (November 1938), the exterior of the
building was spared. During the early 1980s, plans were
made to convert the building into a museum, but these plans
never materialized. The building is now used for commercial
purposes. As of this writing it does not bear a memorial
plaque.